Welcome back, CHS enthusiasts! The CHS Platter crew is glad to be back to bring you our classic gouda takes and grate insights.
After Charged Up was again dominated by swerve drive, even more teams have upgraded to swerve for Crescendo and are fielding it in competition for the first time. Will the growing pains of swerve complexity and in-event maintenance bite any teams this season? Will the carpet survive? Will the tape stick? Is Note dust hazardous? Asking for a friend.
Heading into the 2024 season, here are the top teams in the district:
| Rank | Team Number | Team Name | City | State | CHSyness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2363 | Triple Helix Robotics | Newport News | Virginia | 48.55 |
| 2 | 1731 | Fresta Valley Robotics Club | Warrenton | Virginia | 39.19 |
| 3 | 1727 | REX | Lutherville Timonium | Maryland | 34.70 |
| 4 | 836 | The RoboBees | Hollywood | Maryland | 33.49 |
| 5 | 1629 | Garrett Coalition (GaCo) | Accident | Maryland | 31.53 |
| 6 | 401 | Copperhead Robotics | Blacksburg | Virginia | 31.22 |
| 7 | 5804 | TORCH | Richmond | Virginia | 29.14 |
| 8 | 8592 | Newton² | Fairfax | Virginia | 27.42 |
| 9 | 2199 | Robo-Lions | Finksburg | Maryland | 23.67 |
| 10 | 4099 | The Falcons | Poolesville | Maryland | 23.61 |
| 11 | 4472 | SuperNOVA | Woodbridge | Virginia | 23.14 |
| 12 | 1599 | CircuiTree | Mechanicsville | Virginia | 21.22 |
| 13 | 449 | The Blair Robot Project | Silver Spring | Maryland | 20.89 |
| 14 | 614 | Night Hawks | Alexandria | Virginia | 20.53 |
| 15 | 623 | Oakton Cougar Robotics | Vienna | Virginia | 19.28 |
| 16 | 1123 | AIM Robotics | Fairfax | Virginia | 18.73 |
| 17 | 422 | The Mech Tech Dragons | Richmond | Virginia | 18.69 |
| 18 | 3136 | Official Robotics Constructors of Ashland | Ashland | Virginia | 18.25 |
| 19 | 6802 | Mean Caimans | Cedar Bluff | Virginia | 17.96 |
| 20 | 5724 | Spartan Robotics | Salem | Virginia | 16.85 |
What exactly is CHSyness? We’re glad you asked! We take real district event results (no Championship data) and merge it with some magic formulas, throw in a little Elo, then mess with it until we like the results. The way we do the calculation is subject to change week to week. Super straightforward? Yeah, we thought so. Just trust us. As we move through the season, the 2024 events will be weighted higher than 2023 and 2022 events.
Ashland
Don’t want to drive all the way to Blacksburg? Lucky for you we have a more centrally located event in Ashland. Why would someone schedule these two events on the same weekend? Some questions aren’t meant to be answered. We’ll see most of these teams again at Deep Run in Week 3.
Number of Registered Teams: 30
TBA page: CHS District Ashland VA Event (2024) - The Blue Alliance
Livestream:
- Day 1: https://www.youtube.com/live/KU_piDQ8QSI?si=OaXm8WeME2xmCbnO
- Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/live/H8FO2AF86nM?si=SPcS4ZfqP3uNxcXh
CHSyness: 11.68
Number of Swerves: 21+
Predicted Winning Alliance: 1731, 836, 539
The Favorites:
1731 - Fresta Valley’s under bumper intake, trap scoring, and multiple auto modes make more than just a contender, they’re a lock for this event.
836 - We’re not sure what the RoboBees have cooked up but the 2023 Galileo Division Finalists are sure to impress.
8592 - Newton² was at the Glenelg Week Zero event and showed off the ability to shoot from the Subwoofer and from longer range. With a variety of three note auto modes and an effective shooter we expect them to make a run deep into the playoffs.
Others to watch for:
1599 - CircuiTree almost finished a four note auto at the Glen Allen Week Zero event and had a reliable side wheel shooter. Their four sided intake is one of the most unique design decisions in the district.
4099 - The numbers say we should keep an eye on the Falcons, but like 836 we’re not yet sure what they’ve built.
Rookie Spotlight:
There are two rookies registered for this event and we’re excited to see what they’ve come up with, we’ve been told that one is even running swerve! Good luck rookies!
- 9684 - Cardozo Unstoppable 2024, Washington DC
- 9709 - Isotope, Chesterfield, VA
Blacksburg
The only thing saving Blacksburg from implementing the Small Event Exceptions is the four out-of-district teams who are registered. The event is down to 25 teams as of this posting.
Number of Registered Teams: 26 25
Out of District Teams: 4
TBA page: CHS District Blacksburg VA Event (2024) - The Blue Alliance
Livestream:
- Day 1: https://www.youtube.com/live/0q3xw4rKd3k?si=rUVduv_JWfbgN2Wk
- Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/live/T3-KV0hXZZs?si=WReXszjhTeNAiOlM
CHSyness: 11.74
Number of Swerves: 21+
Predicted Winning Alliance: 4967, 401, 9003
The Favorites:
401 - Is Copperhead Robotics ready for prime time in Week 1 at their home event? They historically come out of the gate at a reduced pace and accelerate quickly through the season. They’re sure to have a multi-note autonomous mode ready to go.
449 - Blair Robot Project showed good multi-note autos and fast cycling both to the Speaker and Amp at the Glenelg Week Zero event. If they can fix some shooter issues and get their climber working they will be playing late into Sunday afternoon.
4967 - One of the four out-of-district visitors, That ONE Team is dialing in a four note auto and was one of the top cyclers at the Kettering Week Zero event in Michigan.
Others to watch for:
1629 - While we don’t know much about GaCo’s robot they’re always an event contender. We expect them to have 2, 3, and maybe even 4 note autos and a reliable shooter.
5804 - TORCH looked impressive at the Glen Allen Week Zero event, their unfolding intake and handoff looked complicated but was extremely consistent and they rarely missed shots. If TORCH has a weakness for this event it might be autos - we’re not sure what they’ll have ready.
Rookie Spotlight:
There are two rookie teams registered for this event. We’re excited to see what they’ve built. Good luck rookies!
- 9403 - Starstuff, Alexandria, VA
- 9496 - Lynk - Forest City, NC
